Clear Channel gets political

With political attack ads flying faster than Brad Lidge’s World Series pitches this election season, the following probably comes as little surprise.

CC Media Holdings, the San Antonio-based radio group, today said spending on national political spots on its stations in through September increased 98 percent over the same period of 2006, also an election year. Total spending on political ads of all kinds is up 54 percent from 2004, the last time there was a presidential election.

With 800 stations around the country, CCM (the former Clear Channel) is the nation’s largest radio broadcasting firm.